Multiple GO-SELEX for efficient screening of flexible aptamers

We describe a simple, high-speed, high-throughput aptamer screening for a group of small molecules using graphene oxide (simple Multi-GO-SELEX) without immobilizing targets. The affinities of ten different ssDNA aptamers successfully obtained for three pesticides were in the range of 10–100 nM. Besides a specific aptamer for each target, we found a couple of flexible multi-target aptamers, which can bind with 2 or 3 different molecules. These flexible aptamers developed for binding with a mixture of targets are not only significant for the rapid screening of a group of small molecules but also offer great promise for aptamer-based biosensor applications.